In an electronic apparatus such as a portable phone or portable play equipment, various kinds of input by a user are accepted and then a program proceeds based on the input. With the high-functionalizing of the electronic apparatus, the user has needed to use various kinds of input. As the various kinds of input, switch input for switching ON/OFF, direction indicating input for indicating the directions of top, bottom, right and left, and scroll input for indicating the amount of displacement by performing a predetermined operation continuously are included. When the various kinds of input are performed, it is important to make a user recognize the input performed by the user as intended input, by giving a tactile sensation corresponding to the type of input to the user. Patent document 1 discloses an input device 100, as shown in FIG. 6, as an input device which is capable of giving a tactile sensation corresponding to various kinds of input.
The input device 100 of Patent document 1 includes a dome-like structure 400 on the central upper surface of an electrode 900 formed on a substrate 500, further, an elastic deformable body 300 and a control panel 200 are laminated. Circular support projections 700 for accepting the dome-like structure 400, which are dual of internal and external, and a circular electrode projection 800 located between two support projections 700 are integrally-molded near the outer edge of the elastic deformable body 300. In a normal state, the electrode projection 800 is held at the location separated from the electrode 900 by the support projections 700 which are dual of internal and external. A depressing bar 600 is formed at the location corresponding to the dome-like structure 400 of the control panel 200. When the user pushes the control panel 200 down, the depressing bar 600 depresses and deforms the dome-like structure 400. In the result, the user can obtain click feeling, and switch input is performed by the contact between the electrode projection 800 and the electrode 900. On the other hand, when the user depresses a part (outer edge) corresponding to the projections 700 and 800 of the control panel 200, the support projections 700 elastically-deform and the electrode projection 800 contacts with the electrode 900 of the substrate 500 so as to perform direction indicating input and the like.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-304247